Yay for November!

There are a lot of great months in the year (12 of them actually) but there is one day in November that keeps this month at the top of my list - my birthday!

I remember when I was a kid we would always get a new yearly calendar in our stockings for Christmas. November was predictably a let down with the photo because it either had something to do with autmn leaves or chrysanthemums. To this day I don't like either! Autumn, for all its beauty, was an imminent reminder of winter just around the corner in Michigan (where I grew up). And chrysanthemums - boring! I wanted my birthday calendar month to have a picture of Hawaii and maybe hibiscus flowers, or frangipani.

But November manages to redeem itself every year by granting me the opportunity to celebrate another year on this beautiful planet, chrysanthemums notwithstanding. Birthdays are a rejuvenation of sorts, just like the beginning of a new year, or the first day of spring (which is not noticeable in south Florida, but I always welcome it anyway.) For that reason I start to get revved up at the beginning of this month. It is a chance to reflect on the past year, make plans for the upcoming year, and start afresh trying to lose those 5 (or maybe it is 10 now) pounds!

Oh yeah, and be more diligent with my painting discipline too! I have been busy making my goals list of artistic challenges I want to accomplish in the coming year. Starting off is continued education, and Steve and I are taking a three day workshhop (right now in fact) with a fantastic artist, Shirley Wilson Blake, through the Art League of Bonita Springs. I have learned so much already and we still have one more day of class. It is so inspiring to be around other artists - they really motivate me to keep on painting. I can't wait for Monday so I can be back in my studio!!!

Ciao!

Cynthia

Words on paper are like colour on canvas!

Having not written my blog for sometime now I feel like I am starting from scratch! Staring at a blank word file is not unlike staring at a blank canvas. You just sit there, thinking that inspiration is going to strike, all along hoping that someone might buy an all white canvas and you can go home and take a nap!

Eventually the ideas rise to the surface and the colours go down on the canvas and the words tumble on to the page. It is so nice being an artist - for all of the things I'm not actually able to write I can usually paint that emotion and find a way to deliver my message in colour.

So, summer is coming to a close and my beautiful thunderstorms that I love so much are slowly disappearinng until next spring. They are my primary inspiration June through October - something about the thunder, lighting, the sound of the rain on the metal roof of our studio and the electric charge in the air keeps me in my happy, creative place.

During some of the storms early in the season I started experimenting on paper using pastels, inks, acrylics, some papers, liquid gold leaf (a given!) and a whole new way of expressing myself with lines, scribbles and scraffito. This is the most fun I've had in a while and once we get set up for our show this week I'm going to dive back in to this process. It's great to try something different and realize how many untapped things reside inside us, waiting to manifest themselves in some sort of physical form.

If you are in the Naples area come see us this Wednesday evening from 6-9 pm for our open house. Wine and appetizers will be served, and keep in mind that the more paintings you buy the better the wine and apps will be at the next show! It's up to you, people! :-)

Cynthia

Rainy days and Wednesdays always make me happy!

Hanging out in the studio this afternoon, listening to a driving rain with rumbles of thunder in the distance. I love the summer storms in Florida and am one of the few odd birds who doesn't care as much for the sunny, cooler weather of the winter. Give me a wild storm and hurricane conditions anytime over something calm and mundane (except when I have to get on a plane). There is something about the charge of the positive ions from the lightning that really kicks the creative energy into high gear. It's almost a bit eupohoric, and it's great to be at the studio during a storm and capitalize on that electrical charge to the atmosphere (I was a meteorologist in a previous life it appears!)

Steve's abstract painting today looks like it could have been created during a storm as it has such a great energy to it! He has a companion piece too (both are 8x10) and is currently at work on a larger one in this series which may just have to go live at our house for a while. A little bit Miro, a little bit Jackson Pollock - maybe the storms carried their energy to him so he could tap into their long ago creative genius.

For more information on this abstract painting or others at casa art studio please click on the link below.
http://www.casaartstudio.com/tospapada.html

Workshops and auction coming up!

Howdy doody!

Steve has been working on our next newsletter which will be emailed out later today. He came up with a great name for it and you will just have to read it to find out! If you are not on our regular (non-facebook) email blast Steve will be sharing it on FB so you'll have the chance to read it and better yet sign up for it and join the masses! It is quite the trendy group to belong to these days. Just sayin.....

Assuming, however, that most of you won't follow my above request, we are offering a few two-day workshops in August in case you want to come paint and hopefully learn something too. The first one will be Aug 9 and 10 (Tue/Wed)and the next one will be the following week, Aug 16 and 17 (also Tue/Wed). Hours are 10-3 pm the first day and 10-1 pm the second day. Cost is $125 and we supply most of the materials. Maximum of 4 students, so hurry and sign up!

And also in the newsletter is our second community painting, available now to bid on auction style through noon next Friday, August 5, 2011. It is the featured painting above, titled 'Garden of Life' and the measurements are 62" L x 42" H. The sides are finished so it does not need framing - ready to hang! The proceeds will be donated to two organizations - The Foundation for the Developmentally Disabled and also Destiny Diaper Bank. The opening bid is starting at $750 (the last one sold for $2000 at the fundraising event)and we hope that those of you who can participate will consider doing so as the organizations this will benefit are really fantastic.

Contact us at casaartstudio@yahoo.com to place a bid or get further information.

The website for Foundation For the Developmentally Disabled is http://www.ffddnaples.org
Destiny Diaper Bank is http://www.destinydiaperbank.com

Inspired by music!

Our studio has a nice vibe going on in it today. Steve and I are painting with an occasional dance step thrown in as we sashay to and from our work tables. The music du jour is a mix of India.Arie (Voyage to India), Khadja Nin (from the Central African Republic) and Mary Mary (a Christian rock/urban group). For those of you who know us your're probably saying "Well, two out of three of those make sense...not sure where they came up with that third one though!"

The first time I heard Mary Mary I was in a little beach shack on the island of Totola in the BVI's. Everyone was dancing while they were shopping and it was the greatest music. Kind of hip, urban and funky, along with a great message. I've liked that group ever since! If you have a chance go to Google and type in Mary Mary Shackles (praise you). Turn up the volume and listen/watch the video. Maybe you'll feel like painting too. At a minimum you may just start dancing!

Today's picture is a follow-up to my last blog about creative picture hanging. On either side of the pictures are Rhythm Pounders of the Senufo tribe from the Ivory Coast, West Africa. On the bench is a Kuba cloth from the Democratic Republic of Congo, given to me by my friend Sabine DeMott who lived in central Africa for years.

My studio is filled with great music, gifts from dear friends, and beautiful paintings underway. It's a great day!!!

Cynthia

...best laid plans of mice and men!

I don't know why we signed up for this painting a day concept. Currently we are averaging a painting a week with the 'painting a month' program lurking in the background! Oh well, it gets us into the studio, we are having fun and we are getting things done. Just so happens it's not always painting (on canvas anyway).

This weekend has been spent totally dismantling the studio, starting with our clean-up room / kitchenette. Steve has repainted the walls and is now repainting the floor. It is forcing us to go through cabinets and shelves and really do some mid-summer cleaning (we weren't paying attention when the spring cleaning season was upon us!). It is such a great energizer to get rid of all the old stuff that is just taking up space rent free.

Out with the old, in with the new! Sometimes Steve's name even appears on that short list, but this weekend he is secure.

The small painting featured today has brilliant colours with dimensional metallic gold free form lines applied on top to create depth. Great little piece to brighten up a small space!

Tomorrow I will post a photo of a unique way to hang these small paintings when you get to the point that you own so many that you don't know what to do with them! We would consider that a great problem to have!

Cynthia

For pricing or additional information on this piece or others from
casa art studio please click on the link below.

http://www.casaartstudio.com/tofeapada7.html

Back in the studio!

After a few weeks away from the studio thanks to a nice faux finishing job that came available for us we are now back in the thick of things, getting ready to create again and release all that pent up energy onto some canvas!

Although faux finishing is very creative it uses a different type of artistic energy and for me personally it does not mix well with the energy that I tap into when working on my paintings. So, as you may have noticed, production at casa art studio came to a screeching halt while we were busy at our other jobsite.

Today, July 1st, seems like a good day to start anew with some paintings. As our friends Eric & Jessica Crabtree (http://www.jcrabtreefineart.com/) have said, there hasn't been a studio large enough so far to let them produce all of the ideas they have! I kind of feel the same - so many great things out there waiting to be created into this dimension. Steve is testing his limits with reverse painting on lucite (you have to paint the final part of your painting first and then work backwards!) and I am going to dive into some other realms of mixed media working with oil pastels, collage, inks and acrylics. Can't wait!

Today's featured painting is very textural and organic. Bamboo and stone are wired on to the canvas which started with a background of rich earthy colours, chunky gold mica flakes, acrylic washes and raised gold acrylic 'beads'. Tribal, organic, earthy and unique! Artist - Steve Adams!

Here's to the beginning of a great month!

Cynthia

For more information or pricing on this painting or other works by our artists Cynthia and Steve Adams at casa art studio please click on the link below.

http://www.casaartstudio.com/today.html

I miss you Steve!!!

Well, here I am, without a husband or a tech support rep in the house and it looks like the blog is up to me for the next few days. When Steve goes out of town in only takes me a few hours to realize that one, I have a great husband and two, I don't know &%$*@ about this technical stuff. I fall into the category of knowing just enough to make a small problem bigger.

So today I will probably post a photo of one of our cats. You will know this when you read the blog and see a photo of a cat.

Steve is off to Birmingham for a few days to spend some time with his sister. He is a great brother to her and I really admire that in him. It is a huge responsibility that he has taken on becoming her guardian, but as he says in his positive way of looking at things " I don't have to do it, I get to do it". Sure makes life easier when we look at the things we do as being choices :-)

Well, I'm going to go rummage around the photo archives and see what I can come up with for today's post.

Stay tuned for more of the same tomorrow (Steve is not back until late Wednesday!!).

Cynthia

Hey! Just in case you want to see our website, here it is! I do know how to type that address!

www.casaartstudio.com

Getting ready for our show this weekend

While I was at the job site today Steve spent the entire time rearranging our studio and rehanging paintings, plus clean-up and organization. The place looks great and we are almost ready for our Saturday show as part of the Shirley Street 16 organization. If you are in the neighbourhood come see us between 11 am and 4 pm. There are another 10 to 12 studios within walking distance that will be open too. It's always interesting to see what all of these artists are working on and to observe them in their native habitat. It's like being part of a National Geographic special on wild artists in the field!!!

Today's painting was created around the same time as yesterday's painting so there are some similarities in colour and mood and they make a nice pair should you want to consider buying both (highly recommended!)

Have a nice evening and we'll be back at it tomorrow!

Cynthia

For pricing or more information on this painting or others at casa art studio please click on the link below.

http://www.casaartstudio.com/tofeapada6.html

Next!

Well, we did it. Managed to create another painting or two while in the midst of our faux finish job. Now I just have to get them photographed, edited, emailed, uploaded and transferred to my dropbox folder. It's a process!

Meanwhile with days like this in mind we created a little bit of an inventory a few weeks ago so that we could continue to post once per day. We wouldn't want to leave our followers waiting and wondering where we are!

Today's painting is a mixed media abstract using inks, acrylics and metallics. The colours are really vibrant, and with the sides done in black and the edges in the liquid 18k gold leaf it is ready to hang as is. By the way, we do not wire any of these paintings so the direction you hang it is your choice (which is also why we sign them on the back).

Have a great rest of the day. I am off to my writing class tonight (which was a blast last week) - can't wait!

Cynthia

For pricing or more information on this painting or other works by casa art studio please click on the link below.

http://www.casaartstudio.com/tofeapada5.html

Sometimes the bills just have to come first!

As much as we love working in our studio and would be quite content to be here everyday, occasionally a faux finishing job comes along that we feel the need to say yes to (still a great business to be in and it keeps the cash flow going). So, today we started working at a very nice home down in Port Royal and we will be there for a few weeks.

Which of course means that the 'Painting A Day' project could come to a screeching halt. The main purpose of committing to the daily painting is the discipline of creating something every day regardless of other things that come up. The next few weeks will prove to be a good test of our focus and commitment to our art. Especially now that it is in writing and broadcast out to the world. Feel free to nag and hold us to our promise!

Today features a cool little painting done by Steve that has a 'zen' feeling to it. It incorporates an interference green/gold metallic with natural papers and very fine lines of gold and bolder swishes of black. The sides are black and the top is edged in 18k liquid gold leaf. Every time Steve does something along this line it sells quickly at our shows. People respond to the rhythm and balance that is a big part of what this painting is about. With a previous one we mounted it on top of some organic bark paper and then had it professionally framed in a floating frame. Great look and an inexpensive way to make your art have a much bigger impact. Feel free to contact us if you need some ideas about how to frame your art - it can be the thing that makes all the difference (our picture framer made me say that....) !!!

Happy Monday - and by the way, happy birthday to my beautiful sister! I am so lucky to have her in my life. I love you Jen!!!

Cynthia

For pricing or more information on this painting or other works at casa art studio please click on the link below.

http://www.casaartstudio.com/tofeapada4.html

Gettin' the hang of this blog thingy

Steve just left to run errands and I am now tasked with doing the blog from start to finish! Normally he is within shouting distance if I don't understand something (which a few days ago was just about everything to do with blogging). Slowly but surely it is starting to make sense. I read a great quote the other day that said "if you are experiencing anxiety around something it is generally because you haven't learned all that you need to know about it". Pretty soon this 'blog thingy' will be second nature for me.

I remember when painting and faux finishing were foreign territory, and now through years of experience, reading, research and experimentation I have a great comfort level with them. It is a reminder that almost everything is possible if you take the time to train yourself. So bring on the blog!

Today's painting is very abstract and sometimes I think the subject in a piece like this ends up being the colours themselves, or maybe the energy it gives off. There is something about the combination of saturated blues, deep reds, magenta, orange and turquoise that create an energy field that is intriguing to me. I hope you can feel it too!

For more information or pricing on this painting or others by casa art studio please click on the link below.

http://www.casaartstudio.com/tofeapada3.html

Please share me with your friends!

Happy Thursday everyone!


People that come by our studio / gallery almost always comment on how so much of our work has an Eastern feel to it. I think this ties back to yesterday's blog, talking about how the past can influence the creative process, even if it is further back in time than our own lifetime. Sometimes I wonder what or who is coming through me and what is the link? I don't really need to know though - it just feels good and I love being connected to that timeless, universal spirit!

Today's painting just sort of directed itself into this world. I think I was just the 'organizer'! That Eastern Spirit has revealed itself again!

On a side note, we are taking a good bit of time this summer (while the art show season is a little quiet) to really work on developing our business over the internet. We would be grateful to any of you who might think to forward this blog on to their friends so that we can continue to build our internet presence. At some point (when we learn how!) we will be offering the option of purchasing a gift certificate over our website so that you can give that to a friend. Isn't that thoughtful of us?

To purchase this painting or to visit casa art studio please click on the link below.

http://www.casaartstudio.com/tofeapada2.html

Is it Tuesday or Wednesday?

Yesterday I thought it was Monday all day (and even on into the evening until Steve pointed out my errant thinking). So I just want to state up front that I will probably be confused for the rest of the week! I have found ever since we moved to Florida from Atlanta almost 15 years ago that my sense of time has never been on track. I'm self-employed, and the weather rarely changes so there aren't the normal markers along the way that let me know what is happening. I kind of like that though - it doesn't seem as if time passes as quickly here.

One of the aspects of being an artist that I enjoy the most is that non-linear connection with the past, present and future while immersed in a creation. While painting one is totally in the moment of creating, yet there is often a spiritual type of connection with past artists who infiltrate our thoughts and it often makes me wonder what type of direction is being given to me from unknown sources. And while creating it is easy to let your mind wander into the future, thinking about the next painting and what source will be the inspiration for it.

The painting featured today is one of Steve's that I feel strongly attracted to for the energy that it has. The colours are bright and yet there is a surrealness to it that makes me want to keep looking at it, as if there is a mystery buried in there, somewhere. I have two names for this painting - 'Continental Drift' and 'Pangea' as I feel as if I'm looking down from above on something from the past. Steve has no name for this painting. To him it 'just is'.....

See you tomorrow!

http://www.casaartstudio.com/tofeapada1.html

Ta Da!! My first blog entry. Welcome!

How does one start writing a blog?

I guess just jump in with your eyes closed, kind of like how I've made many decisions in my life. I've learned over time that the less I think about something and the sooner I just do it, the better off I am, and those around me benefit too. But just to be on the safe side I have signed up for my creative writing course again, and good news for all it starts tonight!



Meanwhile, let me say "Welcome!" to the casaartstudio blog, which for the time being will revolve around our 'Painting A Day' series of art work. We will feature small, generally 8" x 10" canvas paintings (all originials) that will be available to purchase for those of you who just can't stand not being one of our collectors. An easy, and very affordable way to become part of this mob scene. If we weren't the artists we would buy them ourselves!!!



Although today is the first blog entry we are actually on painting number 5. This piece is a mixed media work that combines acrylics, inks and metallics. The edges are finished in black and edged in 18 k liquid gold leafing. A protective varnish sealer is applied, and the painting is signed on the back so it can be hung any way that suits the new owner.

Talk to you tomorrow!

Cynthia (oh yeah, and Steve)



http://www.casaartstudio.com/paintingday4.html